They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard!

Why, hello there! I sure hope everyone is doing well, and that you are all enjoying this week of upcoming festivities! I saw some pictures of the hot air balloons that got set loose this morning, and they looked beautiful.
Today's post is all about spending time with those you love, and about being out in nature! Yesterday I got invited to go hiking up Nebo Canyon, I think, with Spencer and Megan, and Megan's family. I was sooo excited! I LOVE hiking, and I hadn't been yet this year. I was also excited because Megan had told me that we would be venturing off of the trail at some point to go to a tiny little cabin that someone had built and very few people know the location of. Adventure!! :)
After I got home from work, Spencer came and picked me up, and we headed over to Megan's family's house in Payson. When we got there, we all got in the van and headed off to the canyon! A couple of Megan's siblings came with us, Kelsey, and Isaiah. Megan's mom had packed sandwiches and fruit and veggies and snacks for all of us. I tried an apricot and... I loved it! Who knew? It was about a 40 minute drive up the canyon to get to the trail head. Ah, what a beautiful drive it was. Megan gave us a very nice speech about aspens and conifers, and seeds that need to be cracked open by fire in order to grow, which lead to Spencer coming up with some great ideas for employment.
We finally arrived at the trail head, and off we went on our adventure! The first stretch was the hardest for me. It was steep right off the bat, and it seemed like it was never going to end. But after that first incline, I fell into a good rhythm, and then it wasn't so bad. I stuck to the front with Kelsey and Isaiah, and they taught me about Tigger Toes. Tigger Toes are flower heads that are black, and, in this family, are picked and thrown at each other. I learned quickly that at any moment you might be attacked, so you had to keep yourself alert and armed, prepared to defend yourself at a moment's notice.
We hiked and hiked, and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors, and also the slight temperature drop that this higher altitude provided. At one point, Megan pointed out that the stretch of trail we were on looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings. Spencer proceeded to deem himself Lord Aragorn, I, Pippin, and Megan, Frodo. We pressed on, not to Mordor, but to the elusive cabin.
After a while, we noticed that Spencer was smelling all of the trees. Are you confused? Yes, well, so were we. We asked him what he was doing. "I'm looking for the strawberry chocolate vanilla trees. One time, at scout camp, one of my leaders told me that there was a kind of tree that smelled like either strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla." ... Uh huh. Well, he didn't find one. The poor boy. I really thought he would... not really.
 As the sun was starting its slow descent, we finally found the point where we needed to venture off the trail. It was bizarre walking on the side of a mountain... I kept walking all slanty. I couldn't walk straight worth anything. We climbed over trees and rocks, and finally, we found it! The cabin! Inside there's a metal box, and inside that metal box is a notepad that you are supposed to sign. We all signed and wrote of our adventures of Lord of the Rings. We had gone really far ahead of Mom and Dad Curtis, so we waited for them and took some pictures and things. They caught up to us just as the sun was setting.
Isn't that beautiful? We hung out up there for a little bit, and then we started to head back. On our way back to the car we saw deer, squirrels, a kestrel, a few wood peckers, and lots of moths and butterflies. While we ventured back, Kelsey and I went ahead of everyone else and gather up all of the Tigger Toes we could find, and shoved them in our pockets. Along the trail we found a clump of bushes, and we laid on the ground behind them, with our ammunition loaded and at the ready. As Spencer and Megan came walking by, unawares, we jumped up with loud war cries and attacked. Yes, we're very mature. Ha ha, but it was fun. The moon was very bright, and full, and gorgeous.

When we were all back in the van, we traveled back down the mountain. On the way down, Megan and Kelsey and I sang girls camp songs and tried to teach the boys... It was quite the adventure.
When we got back to the house, Spencer drove me home. He was freaking out about all of the fireworks, and I recorded him screaming. So, if anyone wants to hear that, let me know. It's pretty entertaining.
Yep, so the moral of my story is, spend time with the ones you love. Do fun things, and get to know people better. It's fun, and you become really close. Also, spend time outside, for goodness sake! God made us this beautiful Earth! Why would we spend all of our time inside, and miss the beauty that's all around us? Yep, that's all I have. Have a lovely, sunny day, and apparently it's Shake Hands Day, so shake hands with everyone you know, and with someone you don't.
Love-
Rachel

PS. Please, tell me, that the following video looks like the best thing you could ever do. I am TOTALLY doing this!

Prayer, Hope... and Maybe a Shopping Cart

Today's post: DIYWLH (Do It Yourself With the Lord's Help) Recipe for turning a bad day into a good one. Let's start by setting up our scene here.
You wake up and you're not in the best mood of your life, by any means, but you're determined to keep your happy mask on, whatever it takes. This leads to ingredient one. PRAYER. This praying actually started late the night before, and is now, again, needed to keep yourself together. "Prayer is one of the most precious gifts of God to man." -Elder J. Devn Cornish. Apply this at the start of your day, and then repeat as many times as needed throughout the day.
You continue off to work, and there we find ingredient two. DISTRACTION. Keep your mind busy. Don't let yourself sit with nothing to do. Find new projects and ways to improve your already completed projects in order to stay distracted. In addition, you may also want to have silly discussions with your co-worker and listen to country music. You might also find that when random guys walk into your cubicle, asking if they can repair the hole in your wall next week, you will find yourself achieving the goal of "distraction." (This does not mean you need to punch a hole in the wall to get a guy to try to fix it for you. That would lead to anger management classes, which would be extremely tedious, and deter from the "distraction" goal.)
After you've left work, you will want to add a splash of ingredient three. THOR. Ok. Maybe more than a splash... How about a whole pool full? I mean... Look at him. Chris Hemsworth. Do we need to say anything more? No. I didn't think so.

 Thor: [walking into a pet shop] I need a horse!
Pet Store Clerk: We don't have horses. Just dogs, cats, birds.
Thor: Then give me one of those large enough to ride. 




Fourth ingredient. CLOSE FRIEND. Talk to someone about why you're not so happy. Keeping your feelings bottled inside can lead to unhappiness, which is the opposite of what we're trying to achieve here. If you happen to choose Jordan Stout, he will listen to you, offer advice, and then suggest that you go on an adventure to get you away from your unhappiness. He might lead you to Barnes & Noble, where he will look for a specific book, searching the whole entire section, just to find it on the very end of the shelf. He will also hand you a book entitled Darth Vader and Son, to read as you wait for him to check out. Afterwards, you might go to the grocery store for your mom, which leads us to our next ingredient. MACEY'S SHOPPING CARTS.
You see, not only does Macey's have food and goodies, but it also has shopping carts. Contrary to popular belief, these are best maneuvered by leaning over the handle bar, and placing one's feet on the floor, and using them in a stealth like manner in order to steer. Your friend might become very good at 360's and at making smooth, gliding turns that get him exactly where he wants to go. You might feel a bit envious of his hidden talent. But don't give in to this envy. Remember that you have the hidden talent of backward granny shots (and besides, your friend's toes are all dirty now).

To finish off this recipe for turning your day around,
 we will stir in lots of HOPE. President Uchtdorf says, "Hope... is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear." Yes, right now you might feel a bit unhappy. You might not be at the top of your game. You might feel a little stretched from keeping a smile on your face all day. But soon that smile won't be forced, it'll be real. Look to the future. Even dare to look at your life as it is right now, and think of all of the amazing, and also simple, things that you've been blessed with. Have an eternal perspective and think of what is truly important, what's to come, and what's best for you. Have hope in Heavenly Father, and trust that He knows what He's doing, and that He understands you. He longs to help you if only you'll go to Him in prayer. You are not alone.
If you follow this recipe, you will turn that emotional frown, upside down! I promise that your day will be a million times better if you decide to change your own attitude, and rely on the strength of the Lord as you act on this determination.
It's been a good day. :) And may yours be just as good as mine. :)
Love-
Rachel

Hand warmer mugs and olive oil

I'd like to start off by saying, olive oil is NOT disgusting. My mom thinks it is, and I simply do not understand it. It just makes things taste... yummy. :)
Super short post today. I would just like to announce that I am SUCH a gourmet cook. Well, not really. But  when it comes to spaghetti, kind of. On the menu tonight was Rachel's homemade marinara sauce with whole wheat noodles. YUM!! The recipe is as follows, whether you're interested or not. :)


Delish Marina
(Makes 2 servings)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Tablespoon chopped onion
4 tomatoes (or 1 drained can diced tomatoes)
Salt and pepper
Any extras you want to add (I like red pepper, olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sometimes browned ground beef)
Oregano
Basil
Parsley and Parmesan cheese to garnish

Heat up oil in a pan. Sautee the garlic and onion until onion is a bit soft. (I like to lift the pan off of the stove when I add the garlic and also turn down the heat, then gradually increase the heat. If I don't, I usually end up burning the garlic.) Scoop out tops of tomatoes. Then, over the sink, squeeze out as much of the juice and seeds as you can. If you don't, the sauce will turn out runny. Rough chop these, and throw them in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you're using canned tomatoes, don't use salt. They already have salt in them. :) Now is also the time to add your extras. But if you're doing meat, don't put that in until right before the spices. After the mixture has simmered and become softer, add a few pinches of dried oregano, or chop up a couple of fresh sprigs. Also add a few pinches of dried basil. I used 5 fresh basil leaves. Stir, and serve with your favorite noodles! PS. Rachael Ray says that you should always stir your sauce into your noodles... So, don't just place it on top. I guess it looks more appetizing if you stir it in...? I don't know. Do whatever you want. I like to stir it in... Personal preference... Whatever. Garnish with a sprig of parsley, and a small handful of shredded Parmesan. Enjoy, and never use canned/jarred sauce again. ;)

Yep, that's about as gourmet as I get. Ha ha ;)
 Happy Sabbath!

"Our doctrine is clear; we are to be positive and of good cheer. We emphasize our faith, not our fears. We rejoice in the Lord's assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction. The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Heavenly Father, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
                                         -Quentin L. Cook

Love-
Rachel :)